“Jump! Pebbleshine, jump!” Blossomheart shrieked as she and Waspwhisker backed away.
Hawkwing shoved Curlypaw after them, then ran toward the monster. But just then the monster lurched into motion. Shock jolted through Hawkwing as its huge black paws rolled backward, threatening to crush him. The others scattered. Trembling, Hawkwing stood his ground.
I won’t run away while Pebbleshine is in danger!
When the monster was a tail-length away from Hawkwing, it halted. He crouched, ready to leap up beside Pebbleshine. With a louder roar and the belch of a stinking cloud from its hindquarters, the monster began to move forward, heading for the Thunderpath.
Hawkwing was too late.
“Pebbleshine!” he screeched.
He pushed off in an enormous leap, but he fell short, landing with a thump on the hard ground. His last sight of his mate was her scrabbling at the side of the monster, only for the big brute to stumble and lurch, making Pebbleshine lose her grip and fall back down. She stared, wide-eyed, at Hawkwing, her mouth moving as if she was yowling something to him.
But Hawkwing couldn’t hear it over the roar of the monster.
Putting out every scrap of his strength, Hawkwing hurled himself foward in pursuit, but as the monster sped up he realized it was hopeless. The gap between him and Pebbleshine grew wider and wider, and the monster roared down the Thunderpath until it disappeared into the distance.
CHAPTER 26
Hawkwing lay on the cold ground in the shelter of a gorse bush. Three sunrises had passed since the monster had carried Pebbleshine away, and the cats of SkyClan remained in their camp on the hillside above the Twolegplace, hoping that she would find her way back to them.
But Hawkwing’s hope was dwindling. He felt as though a heavy weight was crushing his ribs, pressing him into the earth. Hearing movement close by, he blinked his eyes open and saw his sister Blossomheart leaning over him.
“Look, Hawkwing,” she mewed. “I brought you this shrew.” She patted the small creature toward him.
Hawkwing gave the prey a perfunctory sniff, then closed his eyes again. His belly churned; he had no appetite at all.
“Hawkwing!” Blossomheart pleaded. “You haven’t eaten for days. You can’t go on like this. Please . . .”
Hawkwing ignored her, and after a couple of heartbeats he heard her paw steps receding. He didn’t want to eat, or talk, or do anything except lie here and grieve for Pebbleshine. He hadn’t thought it possible to feel such pain and still go on living, as if a cat’s claws were snagged in his heart and he would never get free of them.
The whole Clan was grieving too, ever since the terrible day when Hawkwing had limped back with the hunting patrol and told them how the monster had carried Pebbleshine away.
But she’ll find her way back, Hawkwing had at first told himself. I’m sure of it. She’s clever and brave . . . she’ll come back. Won’t she?
But it had always been a struggle for Hawkwing to convince himself of that, and as the days slipped by it became harder still. There were so many dangers out there for a cat on her own. Twolegs, dogs, monsters . . .
She has to come back, Hawkwing insisted to himself. Our kits have to be born. I have to be a father to them.
Ever since Pebbleshine had told him her news, Hawkwing had pictured the kits in his mind, and thought about the things he would teach them. I’d show them the hunter’s crouch, and how to stay downwind of prey, and I’d tell them the noble history of their Clan. . . .
Hawkwing’s body contorted in a sudden spasm of rage. This is all Darktail’s fault! If the rogue tom hadn’t turned on the Clan that had taken him in, Hawkwing knew, none of this would have happened. Pebbleshine would still be safely in the gorge, waiting in the nursery for their kits to be born. And I was the cat who made friends with Darktail! The claw in his heart sank deeper still. I spoke up for him, even against my own father. . . .
Sighing, Hawkwing pressed his face into the cold grass. He was too grief-stricken even to sustain his anger for more than a few heartbeats.
A little while later, Hawkwing heard cats approaching him again.
“Hawkwing.” It was his Clan leader’s voice.
Hawkwing opened his eyes to see Leafstar and Echosong sitting beside him. Wearily he waited to find out what they wanted.
“We’ve stayed here for several days,” Leafstar began, her voice gentle and compassionate.
Hawkwing understood at once what his Clan leader was about to say. No! he yowled inwardly, digging his claws into the ground. I won’t leave until Pebbleshine comes back!
“If Pebbleshine had been able to escape from the monster anywhere nearby,” Leafstar continued, “she would have come back to us by now. It’s time for us to move on.”
“No!” Hawkwing protested aloud this time, half sitting up. “We can’t leave her. I won’t leave her!”
“This is my decision.” The Clan leader’s tone was firm, though sympathy glowed in her amber eyes. “We’re too exposed here, too near Twolegs, and the hunting is poor. We can’t stay any longer.”
“Pebbleshine is strong and smart,” Echosong added. “She knows which direction we’re headed, and what we’re looking for. She’ll try to find us.”
Hawkwing knew that the medicine cat was right, but that didn’t ease the hard knot of grief in his belly, or shake his conviction that he needed to stay near the place he had last seen his mate.
“I don’t believe this is the end of Pebbleshine’s story,” Echosong continued. “You won’t lose her forever.”
Hope struck through Hawkwing like the sun shining through storm clouds. “Have you had a vision?” he asked eagerly.
The medicine cat shook her head, and Hawkwing sank back, crushed.
“No, StarClan hasn’t told me anything,” Echosong mewed sadly. “It’s just what I believe.”
A few tail-lengths away, the other cats were rising to their paws, casting doubtful glances at Hawkwing. Curlypaw padded nervously up to him, carrying a mouse in her jaws.
“I caught this for you myself,” she told Hawkwing, dropping her prey at his paws.
“Thanks, Curlypaw.” Hawkwing pushed the mouse away. “But you should eat it. I won’t be traveling with you. I’m going to wait here for Pebbleshine, in case she comes back.”
Leafstar fixed her amber gaze on Hawkwing, deep concern in her eyes. “Hawkwing, you have to come with us,” she meowed. “Please. SkyClan needs you.”
“You don’t,” Hawkwing argued. “I’m just one cat. When Pebbleshine comes back, we’ll both catch up to you.”
“No, we need you now,” Echosong agreed with the Clan leader. “Do you remember how you and Pebbleshine drove off the raccoon when it attacked me and the kits after the gorge battle? And how you saved us when you killed Dodge in the Twolegplace. What would we have done without you then?”
Leafstar nodded. “You’ve always been so loyal and strong—both of you.”
Curlypaw ventured closer to Hawkwing, leaning into his shoulder so that he felt the warmth of her long-furred pelt. “You’re such a great mentor, Hawkwing,” she mewed. “I can’t imagine learning so much from any other cat. I need you.”
Hawkwing dipped his head. My duty is to my Clan now. Wasn’t that what he’d decided when they left the gorge? And he could see that Leafstar had a point: The Clan did need him. Something inside Hawkwing wanted to give way, but he didn’t know how he could force his paws to carry him away from the last place he and Pebbleshine had been together.
“We don’t even know we’re heading in the right direction,” he pointed out. “What if we’re not? What if I leave with you, and miss Pebbleshine, only to end up wandering for moons?”
“Our faith is being tested,” Echosong admitted with a sigh, “but we must believe StarClan wouldn’t lead us astray. There are so few of us now that our only chance of surviving is to stick together.”
“Pebbleshine would want you to stay with us,” Leafstar pointed out.
Hawkwing realized that his medicine cat and his Clan leader were right. Pebbleshine has always been loyal to SkyClan. She never even considered leaving it to stay on our old territory. She understood that the Clan is more important than one cat. Looking into Leafstar’s eyes, he saw that she truly believed his mate wasn’t coming back. At least, she won’t be coming back here.
He wondered if he could bear to give up hope. Realistically, he knew, it was unlikely—perhaps one chance in a whole field of chances. Is that tiny chance worth the cost to the Clan?
No, he accepted at last. It isn’t.
Heaving a huge sigh, Hawkwing bent his head to sniff Curlypaw’s mouse. Although the very thought of food made him sick, he forced himself to eat. He knew that he would need his strength for the long journey that lay ahead. Leafstar, Echosong, and Curlypaw all nodded encouragingly.
“You’re making the right decision, Hawkwing,” Leafstar said solemnly. “I’m grateful. The whole Clan is grateful.”
Maybe my Clanmates are right, he thought. We still need to find the spark that remains, and make our new lives with the rest of the Clans. Pebbleshine and our kits will find SkyClan again one day. We will all be together again in the new territory beside the water, the home that Echosong dreamed of.
But as he swallowed the last of his prey and joined his Clanmates to set out again, Hawkwing still felt as if he was leaving Pebbleshine behind. What chance will she have of finding us now? he wondered.
Padding along at the rear of the Clan, his head down, Hawkwing tried to shake off the thought. But it clung in his mind like a burr in his pelt.
Will I ever see Pebbleshine again?
CHAPTER 27
“Do you want to lean on my shoulder?” Hawkwing asked Plumwillow.
The SkyClan cats were still trying to go in the direction Barley had shown them, trudging up a long slope covered with tough moorland grass. The ridge ahead of them never seemed to get any closer. A wide blue sky arched above them, where one or two birds were circling, and a stiff breeze buffeted their fur.
“Thanks, Hawkwing.” Plumwillow shifted a pace sideways so that she could lean against him.
Her belly is absolutely enormous! Hawkwing thought. It won’t be long before her kits are here.
A pang of sadness clawed through him as he wondered whether Pebbleshine would get as big as this before the end. Wherever she was—and Hawkwing had to believe that she was alive, somewhere—their kits would still be growing inside her.
A half moon had passed since Pebbleshine had been carried away by the monster with the chickens. Since then there had been no sign or scent of her, but Echosong had dreamed the same dream several times: a pleasant place near water where SkyClan would belong.
“Have you seen Pebbleshine in your dreams?” Hawkwing had asked.
The medicine cat had paused for a long time before replying. “No,” she mewed with a sad shake of her head. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that she won’t find her way there.”
Hawkwing was left to struggle with his grief. Even though he had decided to stay with his Clan, he still wondered what the future could possibly hold for him. Everything he did: hunting, seeking for safe places to rest, even his mentoring of Curlypaw, was completely meaningless now. Only Plumwillow, who had lost her mate, Sandynose, seemed to understand his pain.
Now Plumwillow huffed out a gasping breath, and Hawkwing felt something move against his side. That must be the kits! he realized, shivering as wonder and a terrible sadness threatened to tear him apart.
“I understand,” Plumwillow murmured. “It’s really hard for me to go on without Sandynose, but I have to believe he’s out there somewhere—just like Pebbleshine. I have to believe that we and our kits will be reunited someday.”
Hawkwing gazed deeply into the gray she-cat’s eyes, and saw that she really did understand what he felt. Maybe she’s the only one who can.
After what felt like a moon of toiling upward, the SkyClan cats reached the top of the hill.
“Look at that!” Waspwhisker exclaimed.
Hawkwing looked down to see a shallow valley in front of him. The ground was covered with grass and stretches of woodland, dotted with outcrops of rock. At the bottom lay a reed-fringed lake, its shimmering surface reflecting the blue of the sky. In the distance, on the far side of the lake, was a small cluster of Twoleg dens.
“This must be it!” Tinycloud exclaimed. “Our new home!”
Parsleyseed’s eyes were sparkling: It was the first time, Hawkwing realized, that he had looked happy since his sister disappeared. “This must be the place that Echosong dreamed about!”
Anticipation stirred inside Hawkwing and his pads prickled with excitement. The valley looked just right for a Clan’s territory, with its grassy open spaces and wooded areas full of undergrowth for shelter and hunting grounds.
But I don’t see any other cats, Hawkwing thought. Where is ThunderClan?
Glancing to the side, he spotted Echosong; she was gazing down into the valley with interest, but he didn’t think she looked convinced just yet that this was the place of her visions.
Leafstar tilted her head toward Waspwhisker, gesturing him out of earshot of the other cats. For a few moments they conferred quietly together; then they both returned to join the other cats.
“Okay, listen up,” he meowed. “This could be the place from Echosong’s visions, but we have to be cautious. We’re going to split into patrols to explore. Look out for places we might camp, and good places to hunt. And keep your eyes open for other cats.”
“Yes,” Leafstar added. “For all we know, this is the territory of one of the other Clans. The last thing we want is to walk into another conflict.”
“We’ll meet up again beside the lake,” Waspwhisker finished.
Waspwhisker led one patrol and Sparrowpelt another. Hawkwing was surprised when the deputy chose him to lead the third. Meanwhile Leafstar led the way to a nearby copse where Plumwillow and Clovertail could rest. Echosong and Fidgetpaw joined them, and the remaining warriors stayed with them, on guard.
Hawkwing set out with Macgyver, Parsleyseed, Birdwing, and Curlypaw. Together they headed down into the valley, pausing to investigate clumps of trees, thickets of fern and bramble, and the crevices in rocks where prey might hide.
“Can we hunt, Hawkwing?” Macgyver asked. “My jaws are watering, there’s so much prey-scent around!”
“Sure,” Hawkwing replied. “We need to know that the Clan can feed itself here.”
Macgyver’s eyes gleamed. “Then it would be pretty irresponsible not to hunt!”
“Don’t get carried away,” Hawkwing warned his patrol while they padded toward a stretch of deeper woodland. “Remember this is strange territory, and we don’t know what might be lurking. Foxes . . . maybe badgers,” he finished with a shudder. “And if this is another Clan’s territory, we don’t want them to think we’re stealing their prey. Curlypaw, stay close to me.”
Hawkwing looked around warily as he ventured into the woodland with his apprentice by his side. The trees were old and twisted here, many of them covered with ivy, and interspersed with banks of fern and bramble thickets. Sunlight filtered down through the foliage, dappling the ground with green-gold light.
“It’s great here!” Curlypaw sighed. “I hope we can stay.”
“Let’s find out a bit more about the place first,” Hawkwing meowed. “What can you scent?”
Curlypaw stood still, her jaws parted to drink in the air. Watching her, Hawkwing reflected that since he had lost Pebbleshine, his heart hadn’t been in Curlypaw’s training. Am I teaching her anything? he wondered. I’ve got to start making more of an effort.
“Mouse,” Curlypaw murmured after a few heartbeats. “And squirrel . . . oh, and rabbit. And . . . I think there’s fox, Hawkwing, but I’m not sure.” She glanced around as if she expected to see the red-pelted creature slinking toward her with its fangs bared.
“Very good,” Hawkwing told her with an app
roving nod. “You’re right, a fox has been through here, but two or three days ago. The scent is faint, so I don’t think it stayed long.”
As he finished speaking he heard a yowl of triumph from farther into the woods, and Parsleyseed appeared, dragging the body of a plump rabbit. “Look what I caught!” he announced, obviously pleased with himself. “We can all share.”
“Great catch!” Hawkwing praised him.
Macgyver and Birdwing reappeared a moment later, Birdwing carrying a mouse, and the patrol settled down to eat.
“I’ve got something to show you,” Macgyver mewed between mouthfuls. “Something good. But it can wait.”
With the rabbit picked clean, Macgyver led the way farther into the trees, around a bramble thicket and up a steep bank to a flat shelf of rock. “Look down there,” he meowed, pointing with his tail.
Hawkwing looked out over a deep hollow, the sides formed from rocks and the tangled roots of trees. Long grass and ferns covered the ground at the bottom. Just below Hawkwing’s paws a small spring bubbled out between two boulders and trickled out across the hollow in the direction of the lake.
“What about that?” Macgyver asked proudly. “Isn’t it a perfect place to camp?”
Hawkwing nodded slowly. There were plenty of sheltered spots for dens, with room enough for every cat, and the steep sides would provide some protection. There was even a source of water.
“It’s a bit like the gorge,” Curlypaw murmured. There was a hint of wistfulness in her voice, telling Hawkwing how homesick she must feel.
“Let’s go find Leafstar,” Hawkwing suggested. “We’ll get her to come and see it.”
Heading out of the wood again, Hawkwing reflected that this could be the perfect place for SkyClan to settle, except for one thing.
There were no other cats here.
If this is where StarClan intends us to be, where are the other warrior Clans?
Hawkwing tasted the air once more, wondering if somehow they could have missed picking up the traces of a large number of cats. This time he did smell cat, but only one, and there was something not quite right about the scent.